Continental tires aren't the first thing that comes to mind if you're thinking of replacing rubber on a high-performance sports bike, but the German tire tycoon is about to fix that. We were recently invited to try the latest offering from Continental motorcycle tires for the sports segment, the ContiSportAttack. On our track in Hanover, Germany dubbed the Contidrom. I couldn't miss this event, so I jumped at the opportunity to try these tires!
Continental Tire has been supplying rubber for over 140 years. Founded in 1871 in Hannover, Continental launched its first motorcycle tire in 1904 and has proudly produced rubber for all motorcycle segments ever since. While the manufacturer is leading the car market, it admits that it is lagging in the popularity of the two-wheeled world.
Ten years ago, the company decided to reorient motorcycles, and the ContiAttack tire family was the result of that resolution. Since then, significant growth has been achieved in all key markets. Now with the ContiSportAttack, Continental is coming, proving they have what it takes to be the best in the sports tire segment.
Technologies
The ContiSportAttack replaces the previous SportAttack to offer better performance for the latest and greatest sportbikes on the market. Indeed, the SportAttack 2 has been factory-installed since 2012 on every (!) BMW S1000RR that won the Superbike Smackdown IX Street. BMW believes these tires are the best fit for the best superbike available today and that says a lot. Sources from Continental explain that the SportAttack 2 is meant to be the best tire for every day.
Three technologies make up the SportAttack 2's success:
- Black Chili is a highly structured carbon compound that not only improves dynamic stiffness at high tempos but also accelerates warm-up. Black Chili compound also minimizes rollover at the edge of the tread block and groove. Black Chili compound is blended with active silicon compounds that improve wet grip and help at lower temperatures;
- Traction Skin provides better grip from the very first seconds of the ride, as the tire has a rough surface for increased grip. Besides, there is no other manufacturer who uses this technology!
- Continuous Compound, a technology that allows Continental to use one compound for the tire. But the beauty is that wear and grip are optimally distributed in the center and to the sides. During the vulcanization process, the sides and center of the tire are heated to different temperatures to make the compound harder or softer where needed. This procedure creates a smooth transition from softer sides to a firmer center;
The tread pattern is familiar to us from the ContiAttack V-groove family, which is designed to maximize tire stability under braking and acceleration. The center of the tire has a minimal number of grooves and a sufficient amount of rubber to minimize wear with increasing torque. Towards the center, the tread pattern is narrowest and widens towards the edges to increase water flow, ranging from 5 to 30 degrees.
Checking on the track
After laying out all the advantages of the ContiSportAttack, it's time to test the rubber on the Contidrom. It was just an acquaintance with the track, the test itself will be later. First of all, there was a dry run-in for testing Traction Skin. The ContiSportAttack provides excellent grip after just a few bends of brand new tires. Incredible!
The one-part compound in the center and on the sides of the tire has proven better grip in wear than the two-part counterparts! Was tested the ContiSportAttack on a street pace track and found the grip to be excellent. Found the limits and got an idea of working with new tires. Highly trained Continental test racers guided us around the track and the pace increased. "fell" on fresh tires without breakdowns for two minutes at a full-tilt with a "knee". This is an impressive, brand-new street tire with uncompromising ride capability! I would say Traction Skin works and works well.
Riding on the track is very enjoyable when direction changes are quick, shifting the bike from one side to the other with a constant sense of control. The grip quality is impressive. Even with the recommended street pressure, the tire holds well and feels great on slopes. It is only when you persistently open the throttle in a lean that you get the rear-wheel slip. Even at that moment, it is predictable and easy to control. Never once did I suddenly lose grip.
After spending several hours on the road, was hit the oval end of the Contidrom to test the stability of the ContiSportAttack at high speeds. In this part of those 100, I was worried and thrilled at the first glance at the incredibly steep climb. The outer edge of the concrete surface is tilted 80 degrees! We’re told that if you We’rego too fast, overloading can lead to the darkening of the eyes. For three laps I had a Triumph 675 and at the edge of the Contidrom oval, the ContiSportAttack tires were rock-stable.
There's no more extreme test than the Contidrom's oval race. SportAttack 2 is flawless. When I tried to hold my head, the muscles in my neck burned and my vision became worse. It was an exhilarating and exhausting race, but the SportAttack 2 never failed. These tires are like rock, they are built for really scary speeds and loads.
Constant streams of water on straight sections and corners, just a little more and the track will become more a lake than a space for testing tires. The Conti's grip was as much as you'd expect from a high-performance tire for a high-performance sports bike. At a reasonable pace, the grip on the sidewall of the tire is sufficient. Open the throttle with a jerk and you will get out. Riding in heavy rain is perfectly possible, but as long as you practice common sense.
New tread design
It took a lot of time to create the tread design, but the result met all expectations. Crossing water channels quickly drain water from the tread for confident handling and stability on wet road surfaces. The wider shoulder area improves stability during sharp turns, providing reliable traction on the road surface. Even at high speeds, the tire does not lose its excellent handling characteristics, ensuring confident handling. Also, the new tread significantly reduced driving noise, increasing ride comfort.
Unique additives in the Black Chili rubber compound
A large number of new additives were used to create the Black Chili rubber compound. The increased silica content has increased the elasticity of the Continental ContiSportAttack tread, thereby increasing the grip of the tread on a wet road surface.
Also, the increased elasticity ensured quick tread retraction, reducing the stress on the motorcycle. Silicon made it possible to achieve excellent wear resistance, which had a positive effect on the tire's lifespan. The new rubber compound provides increased speed characteristics and a minimum braking distance. Also, the tire warming up has increased, allowing you to quickly get the optimal parameters.
The use of rubber sections of different hardness made it possible to obtain the maximum contact patch at any position of the motorcycle. Even at maximum tilt, control precision and stability are not lost.
Key Features:
- excellent grip on any road surface is obtained through the use of a new rubber compound and an optimized drainage system;
- increased service life is ensured by adding silicon to the rubber mixture;
- quick warm-up of the tire is obtained due to a new rubber compound and an optimized tread profile;
- excellent steering stability is obtained as a result of the use of a special steel tape in the central part of the tread.